Heifer In The News

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“In the past my family members used to be malnourished, but now, with milk to drink, they are not. They would get ill frequently, but now that has all stopped.” Thanks to his Heifer cow, Muzakera is earning more than Rwf 48,000 every month from milk sales.

Stating that many women farmers have ended up becoming entrepreneurs, Srivastava said many SHGs have further formed into federations. "In Rajasthan, we work with 5-6 partners. Pashu Sakhi is part of an overall livelihood programme, where we improve the quality of life of rural households. We are keen to replicate this in other states," she said.

At Heifer International, we have come to understand why millions of smallholder farmers remain in poverty, despite many programs and interventions by our organization and many others: The Gap. It’s the gap between what a family needs to earn to live a dignified life where they live, and what they actually earn from all of their efforts. For me, the gap is personified by Virginia Carrillo, a coffee farmer in Guatemala.

And if you're looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift, here's an idea that just about any dad will appreciate. Heifer International, best known for donating cows instead of cash (among other longer-term, sustainable approaches to charity), explains: "In many cultures, the dad provides for his family's well-being, but many fathers around the world struggle to feed their children. A donation in honor of your dad makes a unique Father's Day gift idea." I agree—and really, who needs another tie?

A year after Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari told Arkansas Business about the nonprofit’s increased emphasis on measuring its impact, Heifer has created and filled a position to do exactly that.
Hilary Haddigan is Heifer’s chief of mission effectiveness, a role she assumed in April. She has worked at the global nonprofit, headquartered in Little Rock, since 1999. Since 2009, she has been overseeing Heifer’s planning and effectiveness efforts, developing indicators to help the nonprofit quantify just how effective its approach to ending poverty is.

It's a common and understandable misconception that Heifer International works only in developing countries. It is Heifer International, after all, and most press attention is focused on its animal husbandry and rural development investments there.

Arkansas-based Heifer International is shifting gears to some degree in Nepal from long-term development to disaster relief in the wake of a devastating earthquake. The non-profit has had a presence in the Himalayan nation since 1957 and about 50,000 program participants are directly impacted by the natural disaster.